Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to the field of gas tank holders used in the transportation of gas tanks, and more specifically to tank holders carrying propane gas tanks in the bed of a pickup truck, such that the gas tank holder securing a tank may be easily removed from the bed of the pickup truck.
Brief Description of the Related Art
Transporting canisters or tanks containing pressurized, flammable gas can be extremely dangerous, as one small leak or dent in a tank could cause an explosion. There have been a number of proposed holders and racks that secure tanks in various positions and locations in a motor vehicle to prevent gas tanks from rolling around or contacting other tanks during transport. The proposed holders and racks vary in structure, size, and orientation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,935 to Hadachek teaches a support structure for holding tanks, which includes a platform and a vertically extending stabilizing cradle wherein a strap or similar attachment device is used to retain a tank within the cradle when a tank is mounted on the platform. U.S. Pat. No. 6,863,198 to Darby teaches a similar structure wherein the vertical stabilizing cradle clamps to the upper lip of the wall of a pickup truck's bed. This is different from Hadachek, where the support structure engaged the wall of the pickup truck bed through a spring-loaded vertically extending stabilizing cradle that pressingly engaged the upper lip of the wall. U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,246 to Ross, Jr. teaches a tank holder that does not attach to the wall of pickup truck's bed at all, but instead attaches directly to the floor of a transport. U.S. Design Pat. No. D389,896 depicts the design of a tank holder stand that does not attached to any surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,246 to Ross, Jr. and U.S. Pat. No. 3,753,543 to Burrell et al. each suggest two non-adjustable belt-like structures, equal in circumference, for engaging a tank to the support structure. U.S. Pat. No. 4,006,852 to Pilsner et al. similarly suggests two non-adjustable belt-like structures, but the circumferences of the two belt structures are not equal, so that one belt-like structure may engage the larger circumference of the tank and the second belt-like structure may engage the smaller circumference of the tank base.
There remains a practical need for a tank holder that functions sufficiently to secure and protect a gas tank during transit, while not significantly inhibiting the use of the bed of the pickup truck. While the gas tank holders taught in the prior art allow for the removal of the respective holders from the bed of the pickup truck, either from the wall or floor of a pickup truck bed, any such removal would be burdensome and time-consuming. Returning the tanker holder back into the pickup truck bed would require similar effort.